


jenny returns

by danahscott



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Basically, Fix-It, Gen, Return fic, jenny finds the doctor again!!!! bc she wants a tardis!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 15:55:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11316702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danahscott/pseuds/danahscott
Summary: after a few failed attempts at exploring other planets, jenny decides to follow in her father's footsteps and build her very own tardis. she only needed one more thing. a boost from his tardis, the only tardis left in the universe. the only problem? she was going to have to find him first.





	jenny returns

**Author's Note:**

> this is still one of my favorite fics highkey

Jenny took a deep breath, pulling the brakes on her ship. Turns out, saving planets and civilizations wasn’t nearly as easy as her dad made it sound. She crashlanded on the first planet she saw, caused more trouble than she stopped, and as soon as the high priestess started threatening execution by drowning, she fled. Her other cursory attempts didn’t go much better. So, she was trying something new. 

Jenny was going to build a TARDIS of her own. She had all this information rattling around in her head, stuff about her father. She didn’t know why she knew, whether he’d given her the information or whether she came with it, but after her third planet, it bubbled to the surface. She knew what she needed, she knew where to get it, and she even knew exactly how to build it. 

Jenny pushed herself out of the pod, biting her lip and trying to shake her nerves. She was outside the cyber legion. Any minute now, she’d be in there, grabbing the Cog Damerion, then booking it the hell out. Still, she’d heard horror stories of the cybermen, even during her short time in the universe. She’d come back to life once before -- would she be able to do it again?

Still, it was now or never. She’d get the Damerion or die trying. It was carved into her skin, the urge to fight, to go to battle. Now, she had a reason. Her nerves weren’t shaking, but adrenaline was pumping through her veins. If there was ever a time to go, it was now. Jenny took a deep breath and started running. 

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

An hour later and there was Jenny and she was still running, but now away, sprinting faster than she thought humanly possible -- was she human? She knew Donna was. She supposed since her dad wasn’t human, neither was she. The Damerion was tucked under her arm. She flicked her head behind her and let out a loose chuckle. The cybermen were marching ominously,, solemnly towards her. Whoever designed these bastards didn’t teach them how to run! They could shoot, though, and she was just barely dodging their lasers. 

Jenny dove into her ship, stashing the Cog Damerion behind her. Before she knew it, she was in flight, far from the planet below her. She was breathless, partly from the running but mostly from the thrill. The sudden silence was a stark contrast from the metallic threats shaking the ground just seconds ago. 

The success of the trip pulsed through her veins, wiping away the failures of the last few planets she visited. She figured she should keep the adrenaline alive while it lasted and set track for Sontar.

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

She knocked out the first few Sontarans she saw. Jenny wasn’t sure whether their similarities would make this easier or harder. They were both warriors, they were both clones. But the Sontarans were stupid. Filled with unbearable arrogance. They didn’t even notice her take the dyna-spanner. In an anticlimactic turn of events, she had taken off before any alarms had gone off. They were too busy deciding which planet to take over. Jenny didn’t mind, though, of course. Next, she had to find the head of the Dalek ship. 

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

The problem was, you don’t fight Daleks. You run. You hide. You hope to god they don’t find you because when they do they’ll kill you. There were some things the universe just knew. That was one of them.

So, Jenny was prepared for the worst. But when she got an abandoned spaceship, she was suspicious to say the least. Pieces of scrap metal were lying scattered on the floor. It almost looked like a puzzle. Finally, she shook her nerves and started sifting through the pieces for the Vinerien. After ten minutes, Jenny was starting to think that it really was just a pile of rubbish when one of the pieces burned white-hot against her hand and a siren started blaring somewhere far away, moving from room to room, getting closer to her. 

Quick as a whip, she tore open her shirt, yanking it off, wrapping the Vinerien in it and thanking herself for slipping a tank top underneath her outfit that morning. 

And then the alarms had reached the control room and a red laser almost shot straight through her. Suddenly, they were coming from all sides and Jenny was only barely dodging them. After a moment that felt like forever, they stopped completely. Jenny just stood, chest heaving from exhaustion, afraid to move a single muscle and set off another   
alarm.

That was when the floor started opening, ready to chuck her out into space. There must have been some oxygen field to protect the Daleks that used to live on the ship, but Jenny doubted it would treat her so kindly. So she ran and ran, leaping to the ground to avoid falling out, picking herself back up off the ground, and it wasn’t until she was light years away that she allowed herself to slow down. Her shirt had a hole almost burnt straight through, but the Vinerien was ice-cold now. None of the shooting even mattered to her anymore now that she had it. Plus, there were only two more planets to go. 

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

Jenny landed on Adipose 3 ready for another fight. The Drive Pyrocannon was crucial to her mission. If she didn’t get that, then she could bloody well kiss her TARDIS goodbye. But the moment she set foot on the planet, she was greeted by a creature a mere fraction of her size. 

And the first thing she offered to do was help. Jenny wasn’t used to that. And, as it turned out, as crucial as the Pyrocannon was to her mission, the Adipose were more than willing to give it away. They spent hours rifling through the spare machinery the Adipose had stored away, saving her countless trips to other planets. 

She left with everything she needed in her ship - all except with one vital ingredient. ANd there was only one way to find that. But first, she had to make a final stop at the Sycorax warship. 

Jenny left Adipose 3 with a new thought bubbling up in her head, one that hadn’t occurred to her before. Maybe not every planet needs fighting or saving. Maybe some are just… alright on their own.

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

The Sycorax warship was abandoned and crumbling. Jenny sniffed the air and smelled smoke. She turned her head and saw fire. She turned her head the other way and saw skeletons. Then, finally, she turned to her ship one last time. It was hollowed out, empty now. It was going to be abandoned, too. Jenny held her hand to it, stroking the side. It had been a good ship, and it had served her well. But now, it was time to move on. 

Jenny moved her eyes back and forth, scanning the room until she found it, discarded on the floor. Jenny grabbed the vortex manipulator, snapping it onto her wrist. She clicked on the expander the Adipose gave her and looked behind her at the dead TARDIS. She punched in coordinates for planet Earth, 2009. It was time to see her dad again.

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

It took Jenny an entire day to figure out how to find somebody’s address on Earth. Luckily, she’d managed to land somewhere in the middle of London, which, as she found out that day, was where Donna lived. Jenny decided not to wake her up, to go in the morning, even though she was so excited her heart was practically beating out of her chest. 

But morning came quickly enough, and though Jenny didn’t sleep a wink - did she even need sleep? She wasn’t quite sure - she was more than ready to see Donna again. So, she knocked on the white door of a cozy-looking brick house with one thought ringing around in her head. This is where it all begins again. 

She almost thought nobody was going to answer the door. But someone did. It just wasn’t Donna. It was a man, an older looking man, though Jenny wasn’t quite sure what constituted as old on this planet. The hair sticking out from under his red hat was almost completely white and his face was lined with deep wrinkles. His eyes were kind, though, that was struck Jenny the most. It looked as if he was smiling from every orifice in his body, though his mouth was set in a straight line. 

“Can I help you with anything?” He asked Jenny in a scratchy sounding voice. For whatever reason, Jenny liked this man, though she knew it wasn’t wise of a soldier to trust anyone they didn’t know. 

“I’m looking for Donna Noble.” She paused, biting her lip. “Sorry, have I got the wrong house?” The man shook his head ever so slightly, but now he was looking a little wary, a little less pleasant. Jenny became acutely aware of everything she was wearing. She didn’t know how things on Earth worked. She thought her outfit was fine. Maybe there was a problem with her gun. Jenny was under the impression that Earth was a war planet, but maybe she was wrong, because the gun was all this man seemed to be looking at. 

“How do you know her?” He asked, voice a little quieter. Jenny matched his volume.

“She knows my dad. His name is the Doctor. Why, do you know him?” The man’s mouth fell open. Jenny assumed he did know him, but she really did need to talk to Donna. Donna would know where to find him. Well, unless she was with him. Then… well, then Jenny would just have to figure something else out. 

“You’re his daughter? He has a daughter? I thought you died. He said you all died.” Jenny furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “All” died? She didn’t know what that was supposed to mean.

“Well, no. I suppose he thinks so. Last I saw him…” Jenny was trying to remember, because that’s where things got fuzzy. “Last I saw him, I think I was dying. I think I did.” She shook her head, trying to shake herself out of the memory. She didn’t like to think about that. She wondered what had happened afterwards. “But I’m fine now. Donna, she talked to me. She was my friend. I thought maybe she would know where to find him.” 

While Jenny was talking, the man’s face grew sad, and though it may have been a trick of the light, Jenny thought she may have seen him tear up a bit. All of sudden, Jenny thought she should leave. Something was wrong here. Something had happened. But that’s when she heard her. 

“Gramps?” A voice was calling out from the kitchen. “Gramps, who’s at the door?” And then, Donna was standing there, next to this man, and Jenny couldn’t help it. Her face split into a smile so big her cheeks started to hurt. After everything she had been through since she left her home planet, it was nice to see a familiar face. But Donna only gave her a breezy smile, and then looked expectantly up at who Jenny supposed must have been her grandfather. 

“It’s nobody, Donna, just a woman here for charity.” He was lying, Jenny realized. Why would he lie? Why didn’t Donna recognize her?

“Right then, make sure you give her something nice.” And then Donna had left, and Jenny was still so, so confused. She shook her head again, trying to clear up some of the murkiness. Maybe she was forgetting something important.

“Look,” the man said, apologetically. He was wringing his hands together, refusing to meet her eyes. “Why don’t you try somewhere else?” Jenny felt like she had just suffered a blow to the gut. She had counted on Donna to help her, but Donna hadn’t even remembered her. She’d barely recognized her. She had been kind and loving, she had helped connect Jenny to the Doctor and she was Jenny’s only plan, and now all that was ruined. But still Jenny nodded, turning away from the door and back to her empty TARDIS, parked where the vortex manipulator had taken them. 

It would be useless until the Doctor was there. All she needed was a jumpstart from his TARDIS, and then her TARDIS would be ready. The only problem was, how do you find someone who could be anywhere in space and time?

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

Jenny wanted to punch herself. The other woman, the one her dad had been talking about! What was her name? It started with an M - Martha! Martha Jones! She could find her and even if Donna had forgotten her somehow, maybe Martha could remember?

Jenny had to take a second to slow down her thoughts. Her and Donna had been closest, but Donna still forgot her. What about Martha, then? Though, Jenny had the strangest feeling there was something weird about Donna when she saw her. And besides, Martha was her best bet at that point. What else could she do?

Now that Jenny knew better how to find people, it didn’t take her long to find Martha. It was only about mid-afternoon that Jenny arrived at her house. With slightly less confidence than the last time, she knocked on the door. Almost immediately, a young looking man swung it open, a friendly smile on his face. 

“Can I help you with anything?” He asked in an accent that sounded just slightly different from her own. His eyes fell on her gun and the smile fell. 

“Hi, I’m looking for Martha Jones?” 

“Right, then. Put that gun away first and we’ll see.” She saw some sort of transformation come over him, from friendly to defensive and ready for a fight. With just a little bit of hesitancy - she didn’t recognize this man, could she even trust him? - Jenny handed him the gun. She had to prove that she wasn’t a threat. She had to get to her dad. “Alright, I’ll call her,” he said, the tension in his shoulders slightly loosened up. Then, he added, “but don’t you try anything or you’ll have me to answer to.” He went back into the house, leaving the door slightly ajar. Jenny shifted her weight to her other foot, anxiously waiting. 

The door swung open again, and Martha was standing right in front of her, the man from earlier standing a few feet behind her, arms crossed and a stern expression on his face. But Martha was all smiles. She quickly wrapped Jenny into a warm, full hug. It felt so good, so strong, that Jenny thought she might start crying. All too soon, Martha pulled away and Jenny wanted to pull her back into the embrace, but she knew that it wouldn’t be smart. She had bigger things to handle. 

“Jenny? Oh my god. I thought you died.” Martha’s hands still clutched Jenny’s shoulder tightly and looking her up and down as if she thought she would disappear. Jenny barely knew Martha, really, but it was so nice to have someone she wanted to see, who was happy to see her too. 

“Well, I suppose I did die. I don’t really know what happened, it all gets a little bit confusing. Can I come in?” Martha nodded, a big gappy smile still on her face, and Jenny found she was smiling too. Before she knew it, she was seated comfortably on Martha’s couch, a steaming hot cup of tea sitting in front of her. The man from earlier had loosened   
up, and was now smiling again in a very friendly way. 

“Who’s this, then?” He whispered to Martha. 

“Well, Mickey, this is… the Doctor’s daughter.” 

“He had a kid?” 

“Just for a day.” Jenny cleared her throat, calling the attention back to herself. She needed the Doctor, and after the ordeal of the last week, Jenny was ready to see him again. 

“Martha, I need your help.” Martha snapped her attention back onto Jenny, already smiling. God, the sun just seemed to pour out of this woman. She could see why her dad liked her. It seemed hard not to like her. 

“Of course, anything.”

“I need to find my dad. I don’t think he knows I’m alive and I don’t know how to find him. I need his TARDIS, because-” A proud smile flickered across Jenny’s face “-I’m building my own.” For a moment, Jenny was convinced that it would all turn out fine. Why shouldn’t Martha have his number? She was his friend. But Martha’s smile had fallen and her eyebrows were furrowed, deep in thought. She wasn’t looking at Jenny anymore, but a spot on the carpet where a thread was loose. The man - Mickey, Jenny remembered, seemed just as confused as she was about the long silence. Finally, Jenny spoke. “Martha, what is it?”

“Jenny, I - I can’t.” Martha bit her lip.

“Can’t what?” Jenny asked, warily.

“I can’t phone him.”

“Why? Why not?”

“Because - Jenny -” Martha took a breath. “A while back, when I was still with him, someone got hold of the TARDIS. Someone - terrible, absolutely terrible. And he almost destroyed all of reality with it. The TARDIS is a lot of power to have. And in the wrong hands, the entire universe could be in danger. Now, Jenny, I understand you have good intentions, but sometimes even the Doctor goes too far. One TARDIS in the universe is enough.” 

Jenny looked at Martha, disbelieving. She had come all this way. Martha had been her last hope, and Jenny could tell she knew it. She shouldn’t have told Martha about the TARDIS - but she was excited. She was proud of herself, and she wanted to share that with a friend. Neither Martha nor Mickey would meet her eyes.

“Martha, my dad doesn’t even know I’m alive.” She swallowed back the bitter tears of disappointment that were threatening to spill over. If she was going to convince Martha, she would have to be strong. “He has to know I’m alive.”

“I know,” Martha said quickly, almost reassuringly. “I - I’ll tell him, I’ll find some way to tell him, but I can’t - not today. I have to - to think about it.” Martha paused, finally meeting Jenny’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Jenny.” 

Jenny lingered a moment, and then pushed herself up off the couch. “Right then, I should go.” She fought to keep the waver out of her voice. Later, she would cry. Later, she would crouch in the empty shell of her soulless TARDIS, hug herself tight and cry. Then, afterwards, she would come up with a new plan because she hadn’t battled through Dalek death traps and Cybermen warriors to run up against a wall. But all that would have to come later, because she wasn’t going to cry. 

She fought to get the door open, jiggling the handle, and then she slumped back defeated when Mickey came to help her. It wasn’t her fault she was new to the planet - the universe, really. So much for a dignified exit. In one swift motion, Mickey swung open the door, and Jenny squinted against the bright sun. She only took a few steps down the walkway before Mickey’s voice sounded behind her. 

“Jenny, was it?” With reluctance, she turned around. He held her gun out to her, clenched tightly in his hand. She’d forgotten all about the bloody thing. She grabbed it from him, but he wasn’t done. “Look, I’m not really certain what this is about, or who you are, but - she’d kill me if she knew I told you this but - I know somebody else that could find him. Find Torchwood. Find Captain Jack. He’ll be able to help you.”

Jenny watched the door click shut, and she turned around again with renewed energy. She’d needed a mission. She’d needed orders. And now she had an objective: Find Captain Jack. 

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

It took Jenny an entire week to track down Torchwood. And she didn’t really track it down at all. After poring through library books and the internet, the most Jenny could come up with was Cardiff. So, to Cardiff she went - Cardiff Bay, to be exact. She meandered about, uselessly, aimlessly, like she knew she would. A plump woman with bright red hair and a turned-up nose walked near her, and before she could go past, Jenny stopped her. 

“Excuse me, ma’am, have you any idea where I can find Torchwood?” The woman shrugged her off. A couple was holding hands behind her. She asked them too. Around the fourth or fifth person she asked, she felt somebody grab her arm, gripping tightly. Jenny spun around. It might not be good, but at least something was happening. The man was tall, wearing a long blue peacoat. His expression was fierce. He was leaning into her and she could feel his breath hot on her face.

“What do you know about Torchwood?” He hissed. “You can’t go around telling people about it!” Jenny cocked her head. The man loosened his grip, studying her for a second. “Are you human?” 

“No.” Jenny shook her head. “Are you?”

“Yeah, once upon a time.” Jenny furrowed her eyebrows. She’d think about what he said later, there was something more important to attend to. 

“I’m looking for Captain Jack Harkness. I need to find him.” The man raised an eyebrow. “Please, he’s my only chance.”

The man let go of her arm and put his hand on his hip instead. “I like the sound of that.” 

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

Jack and Jenny were walking along the sidewalk. She supposed they must have looked normal - blending in with the other humans passing by. Jenny was too scared to tell him her plan, scared he’d reject her, too, and she’d be left on her own.

“So, what’s your name?”

“Jenny.”

“Jenny…” He waited for her to fill in the blank but she only shrugged. 

“Just Jenny.” He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. 

“And why do you need me?” Jenny took a breath, studying him for a moment. His tone was almost suspicious, almost mocking. But there was a smile shining in his eyes, and   
she was going to have to tell him eventually, anyway.

“I need to find my dad.”

“And who’s your dad?” 

“His name is the Doctor.” Jack’s eyes widened. “A man named Mickey said you’d help me. Please, he thinks I’m dead.” There was a moment of silence and for the briefest of   
seconds, Jenny thought he’d say no, too. But he kinda just tilted his head, gave a funny little smirk that Jenny couldn’t quite figured out, and looked her up and down real slowly. 

“You have the same… charm,” he said, then he winked at her. Jenny furrowed her brows, confused. Maybe it was an Earth thing? Either way, it didn’t matter.

“Look, can you help me or not? Martha said no already.” 

“Why did she say no?” Jenny froze. She hadn’t meant to tell him about the TARDIS. But if he was going to help her, she should be up front with him. Plus, it looked like she   
didn’t really have a choice at the moment. 

“I’m trying to build my own TARDIS.” 

“You don’t build TARDISes, you grow them.” Something fizzled in the back of Jenny’s mind. Yes, this fact had come preset with all the other knowledge, she recalled. 

“That’s why I need his. A piece of the soul of his TARDIS to power mine. Only Martha couldn’t trust me.” Jenny watched Jack stare up at the sky, seeming mulling over his thoughts. 

“Well, bad news is Martha is the only one with a direct line to the Doctor. Plus, he’s not the easiest person to find. Take it from me, I spent a century looking for him.” Jenny’s stomach sank. A century? “But I think I have a plan. It’s a little dangerous, a little risky, but it could work.”

Jenny felt a wave of newfound energy rush over her. “What’s life without a little risk?”

“Oh, Jenny,” Jack grinned. “I think I like you.”

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

“Have you ever heard of the Daleks?” Jenny froze, resisting the urge to shudder. She was thrust without warning, into that memory, teetering on the edge of nothing, so sure she was going to die, but then Jack’s voice sliced through her memories, blurring everything together and bringing the here and now into focus. “Looks like you have, based on your face.”

Jenny forced herself to relax. “It’s silly. I didn’t even come in contact with them, just what they left behind, but…” She trailed off when she felt Jack’s hand on her shoulder.

“Trust me, Jenny,” he said, an undecipherable look in his eyes. “I know.” Then he went over to the far wall of the rather roomy storage cabinet they were in and pushed a shelf away to reveal a set of large tin doors where a wall should have been. “I stared down the barrel of a Dalek’s eyestock once.” Jenny blinked, taken aback.

“And how did you survive?” She asked, while Jack fiddled with the lock. The door broke open with a mighty boom, revealing a long hollowed out tunnel. He shrugged.

“I didn’t.” He cocked his head to the left, as if to say come on, and started walking. Jenny shook herself out of the surprise and ran to catch up with him. 

“What do you mean you didn’t survive? You’re fine now, aren’t you?” Jack laughed and slowed down, ever so slightly. 

“You could say I had a hell of a friend.”

“Oh, come on, you’re gonna give me more than that, right?”

He relented. “I died and she brought me back, and now I can never die again,” he said, too quickly, too matter-of-factly. There was a beat as Jenny processed this.

“Were you and her-”

“Oh, no,” he cut her off. “Her and the Doctor were - your dad, I guess -”

“Oh.” Another silence. “You know, I died, too.” Jack stopped in his tracks, and Jenny, taking his cue, stopped too. She could see the question in his eyes and so she decided to answer him. “I was shot. He held me. Then, when I woke up, he’d just gone.” 

Jack released a warm gust of breath. “And then?”

“Well, he’d told me about other worlds. Donna, his friend, she said he saved mighty civilizations. And then, I dunno. Guess I wanted to keep up with the family business.” 

Jack let out a low whistle and grinned. “Noble pursuit,” he breathed, and then started walking again. Jenny felt electrified. She’d forgotten what it was like. Her father and her were the same; he understood her. It felt like years had passed since she’d seen him. She’d been alone, but she’d didn’t realize she’d been lonely. Then here was Jack and he was like her too and he got it. Jenny wanted to cry with happiness, but she just kept walking next to Jack in comfortable silence. 

Finally, they reached the end of the tunnel, where there sat a small yellow-lit room. When Jenny saw what was in the room, she wanted to run back down the hall, screaming. And she would have done just that had Jack not stopped her. In the room there were rows and rows of what looked to be about 30 Daleks. 

“Jenny, Jenny,” Jack said, grabbing her shoulder. “They’re empty.” He banged on the closest one and Jenny flinched, but all she heard were three tin echoes. “See? Hollow.”

“But how-” Jenny had to take a second to find her voice. “How did you get these?” 

“There was a really bad invasion here just a few years ago. Countless humans died, but the Daleks died too. I had my team round up all the Dalek shells in case we ever needed them. That invasion was the last time I saw your dad. In order for the Doctor to come, there needs to be a crisis. So… let’s make one.” 

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

Jenny shook her hands out as Jack went over the plan one more time. “So, I’ll set the forcefield so nobody outside a ten-mile radius will be able to see or hear anything we do. The robots inside the Dalek shells are all set up. All you have to do is press this button and that should activate them. Afterwards, I’ll trigger the memory gas so we don’t actually scar these people for life.” He chuckled. “And then…” He let her finish. 

“All we have to do is hide.” Jenny paused, biting her lip. She tried to keep the doubt from creeping in. “And you’re sure she’ll call him?”

“Trust me, Jenny. I know Martha Jones. She can handle herself, but she’s smart enough to know when she needs help, and the Daleks are no single man’s job. She’ll call.” He paused. “Ready?” 

Warmth bloomed inside of Jenny like a smile unfurling. This was happening. Finally, it was happening. “Ready.”

“Go get ‘em, gorgeous.” Jack slapped her on the back and then pushed the button, triggering the forcefield. Jenny grabbed her own remote, hesitated and then pushed her own button. Though she knew the robotic cries of Exterminate! were merely simulations, a shiver still ran down her spine. Almost instantly, screams flooded the street. Jenny was frozen, staring - they’d done it! It really had worked! The Daleks roamed around madly, disarmed and lifeless. Of course, the people didn’t know that. Jack grabbed Jenny’s arm and pulled her into the bush. 

“You getting that adrenaline rush, too?” He asked her. Jenny grinned.

“It’s in my blood! Literally.” 

There was a second, then, a tremendous wheezing, like something being ripped apart. “What is that?” Jenny shouted over the cacophony of noises. 

Jack’s face spread into a slow grin. He started laughing. “It’s him.” Jenny pushed herself to her feet in spite of everything, though she probably had no reason to be, she was nervous. When the door swung upon she released the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She’d almost forgotten what he’d looked like, but now she was drinking in every detail. He looked around for a moment before training his eyes on her. His eyes grew ‘round as dinner plates. Before he had the chance to say anything, she leapt at him, throwing her arms around his neck.

“But - but how - ?” He breathed, deep and heavy. “You died.” 

“Guess I’m more like you than I thought,” she said, grinning. And for just one moment, he grinned back. But then he looked up and Jenny realized the noise had stopped. Jack   
must have deactivated the machines. 

They’ve stopped,” he breathed. “Why have they stopped it?” She felt him let go of her shoulders. He moved steadily and cautiously, weaving in between two Dalek shells. 

“They’re empty.” It took a moment for him to even realize she said anything. He looked up, slowly. 

“What?” he asked. Jenny blanched. 

“I couldn’t find you, I’d tried but -- I need your help. I built my own TARDIS but I need a jumpstart from yours. And Jack,” she gestured behind her to where Jack gave a little wave, “said we needed something big to get your attention, so… so we did this.” The silence afterwards was ominous and daunting. Jenny squirmed under his gaze. Suddenly, this seemed like a terrible idea. 

When her dad spoke again, he didn’t even sound angry, just dejected and almost hurt. Somehow, that was worse. “Do you have any idea how many people you terrified?”

“Dad-” 

“What were you thinking? This - this was irresponsible. This was dangerous. Do you even realize what could have happened?” Martha and Mickey blinked back at her from   
behind a Dalek. She hadn’t even noticed they had gotten there. Everything she worked for - gone. Crumbling down in front of her. 

Less than a minute ago, he dad was holding her. Now, she watched him stalk back to his TARDIS, turned away from her in what she guessed amounted to shame. 

“Dad, I just -” He turned to face her and she shrank a little bit. “I just wanted to be like you. I wanted to do what you did.I - I wanted to save worlds,” she whispered and she was painfully reminded of the night she lay dying in his arms. Something in his face softened and then hardened again. 

“I would never do this. Do you hear me? Never.” Then, he turned on his heel, and walked away, swinging the TARDIS door shut with an air of finality, leaving Jenny standing there all alone. 

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

The Doctor stood, paused in the doorway of the TARDIS for only a second. Then, decidedly he flipped a lever and prepared for dematerialization. But nothing happened. Pushed a button, pulled the todrometer. Nothing. His ship stayed put. 

He sighed and sank into his chair - the spinny one Rose had liked. “Let’s go,” he growled. “I’m not really leaving her there, you know that! I just need to think!” He tried again. Still nothing.

“What do you want from me? Do you think what she’d done should earn her a TARDIS?” He asked his ship, disbelievingly. And then, he realized. He wasn’t sure what answered him, maybe a change in her hum, a shift in her lighting, but he realized. He ran his thumb along her console. 

“I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry. This isn’t about me at all, is it? I forget, sometimes, how lonely you must be. I couldn’t save your sisters when I destroyed Gallifrey.” He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to stave off the guilt. “It’s hell not being able to sense your own kind anymore, I now.” He pushed himself off the chair and stroked her console one more time. “Don’t worry, old girl,” he said, heading for the door. “You’re not going to be alone anymore.” 

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

Jenny stood there for a moment, staring into the blueness of his TARDIS. She turned away, sharply. She couldn’t watch him disappear. 

In an instant, Jack was at her side, reaching for her arm, and then let his hand drop to his side. “Jenny…” She feel the guilt radiating off of him. 

“It’s okay, Jack,” she said, keeping her voice determinedly steady. “It was a good plan.” 

“Jenny-”

“It’s okay.” She looked at him so he knew she meant it. “It’s not your fault.” She heard the sound of distant crying from some family huddled in their house. She could almost feel Martha and Mickey’s eyes burning into her, even though she had saw them leave. 

She looked behind her and his ship was still there. “Why hasn’t he left?” She was wanted him to go. She wanted him to leave, to fly off so she could abandon the stoicism he had taught her so much about. 

“I don’t know,” Jack said. “Maybe something’s wrong?” But before Jenny could reply, the door swung open and the Doctor strode out, casually, as if he hadn’t just said he’d leave her forever less than a minute ago. Nothing in his expression indicated that his mind had swayed, and yet he looked at Jenny and said, “Where’s your TARDIS?” 

Jenny blinked, stunned. “Just over there,” she pointed, “down the hill.”

“Can you get her to Cardiff? She’ll need to recharge once we’re finished.” She froze, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. 

“You’re still going to help me?” He smiled then, just slightly and Jenny, who had seen galaxies and nebulas and glistening alien planets thought it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. 

“Yeah.” He paused. “I’ll meet you there.” It wasn’t a race, Jenny knew, but she couldn’t stop herself from running as fast as possible to get to her TARDIS. She pressed her hand to the cool, She pressed to her hand to the cool, metal surface and pushed in the coordinates. 

“So,” Jack said, clearing his throat and interrupting her just before she was about to press the button. “I guess… this is where we say goodbye, then?” 

“You’re coming with me, aren’t you?” The tension in his face relaxed into an easy smile. 

“I was hoping you’d say that. I mean, after all this… I kinda want to see the payoff.”

“Well, come on, then!” She said, linking her arm through his and pushing the button. Instantly, she was sent reeling. She waited for the uncomfortable sensation she had grown accustomed with to pass. 

Her dad was leaning against his TARDIS, smirking. “You won’t get that in your TARDIS. Travelling without a capsule,” he trained his eyes on Jack, “is the work of amateurs.”

“Well, you haven’t changed,” Jack said. 

“Nor you from the looks of that stunt back there.” 

“Yeah, sorry, kinda my idea.” 

“Oh, it had your name written all over it.” 

“My intentions were good,” Jack retorted.

“Isn’t that how it always goes with you?” Jenny eagerly watched their effortless banter. She knew Jack knew the Doctor but she hadn’t known how well or in what fashion. 

Her dad slipped into a deep, easy laugh, and soon the two men were hugging each other, smiling from ear to ear. “Still impossible, then?”

“As ever.” Jack chuckled.

“Oi! Lovebirds!” Jenny shouted. “You can hug later. We’ve got a ship to power.”

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

Ten minutes later, a long black wire glowing gold ran between the two TARDISes. Jenny watched, mesmerized until the last golden drop had gone in. She stood on bated breath, anticipating something to go wrong. But nothing did. 

“Go on, then,” her dad whispered to her. “Go look.” Step after step, she walked towards her TARDIS. The first thing she noticed was how bright everything was. Then, the white circles on the wall. And finally, the hum. Her ship was humming. Her ship was alive.

She pressed her hand to her mouth, feeling tears begin to prick at the corners of her eyes. She was finally getting it. Everything she wanted. She heard her dad settle in next to her with a contented sigh.

“It’s-she’s alive?”

“Yeah,” he said, the corner of his mouth slightly upturned.

“But if her soul came from your TARDIS, does that mean they’re the same being?”

“Well, no,” he scratched the back of his head. “It’s almost like she’s her daughter.” Jenny smiled. It was certainly fitting.

“So,” she said moving closer to the console, “can I take her for a spin?” 

“Not just yet, I’m afraid. They’ll both need to recharge for about thirty minutes. Say, why don’t we talk? I know a place. I think we could both do with a little catching up.”

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

Five minutes later, they were seated at a restaurant, the same one he came to every time he needed to recharge his TARDIS, apparently. They’d left Jack to watch over the ships. 

(“What is someone asks what they are?” He had asked. 

“Say it’s modern art!”)

She let her dad order for her. She didn’t know enough about earth food to have any preference.

“You have your own TARDIS now,” her dad started out, very solemnly. “All of time and space is a lot of power. Someone should teach you how to use it right.” Jenny listened as he dove into stories about Autons and Silurians and the Adipose who had been so kind to her. He told her about what happened to Donna, and about his friend, Rose, and even about a boy named Adric.

By the time he’d finished, Jenny hadn’t even realized thirty minutes had passed. All he’d been through - she knew why he told her. He had to show her that it wasn’t easy. And Jenny hadn’t thought she could respect him more than she already did. 

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

“What was that about?” Jack asked her when they got back. Jenny shrugged.

“He’s my dad. He was giving me the talk,” she replied evenly, then she winked at him for good measure. She turned to face her dad. “This is goodbye for a while, isn’t it?” 

He smiled a sad, little smile. “Doesn’t have to be. Wait there a moment.” He went into his TARDIS. Jenny could hear him rifling around inside. “Here,” he poked his head out, tossing her an item she barely caught. Jenny turned it over in her hand. A cell phone. “Direct line to the TARDIS. Well, mine, that is. No more Dalek invasions.” Jenny nodded. “Oh, come here,” he said, scooping her up in a big hug. 

“Come on, don’t I get some of that action?” She heard Jack say behind her. Jenny laughed, letting go of her dad and throwing her arms around Jack instead. “I meant from him, but okay,” he joked, picking her up and twirling her around.

“Thank you,” she whispered. He set her down, gently. “You could come with me, you know. My dad travelled with companions. Besides, I could use someone with experience on board.” 

Jack bit his lip. “I do miss time travel. This whole day-to-day thing, I dunno, gets kinda tedious after awhile.” He shifted on his feet. “But I got some unfinished business at Torchwood.” 

“Right, okay,” Jenny looked down.

“Sorry,” he added.

“No, don’t worry about it. We’ll see each other again, won’t we?” Jack laughed.

“Already looking forward to it.” His expression sobered. “Good luck, Jenny.” 

“You too.” And then, before she could say anything else, she shut the door to her TARDIS, pulled a lever and flew away. 

100 YEARS LATER

Bang. Bang. Bang. “Coming, just hang on!” Jack pushed himself off his chair, rushing over to the door. He was expecting a guy to stop by, someone interviewing for the rotating positions at Torchwood. The longest anyone had stayed for the past year had been a month. Bang. Bang. Bang. He swung open the door. “Torchwood Archive, are you for th-” He trailed off. 

There was Jenny, TARDIS parked behind her, wearing the same clothes she wore the last time he’d seen her, one hundred years ago. She grinned. “One hundred years is plenty of time tor wrap up any unfinished business. How about now?”

**Author's Note:**

> hmu on tumblr @kirayukimuras


End file.
